Maria makes a bold statement by saying she has already been saved and she will be saved where salvation hasn't been guaranteed for anyone. If Orthodox theologians and pastors have told you otherwise, maybe you took Fr. Hopko's podcast out of context?

While I can't speak for her, the sentiment expressed by Maria is entirely Orthodox. In no way is it meant to express a guarantee (as per the classic Protestant "Once saved, always saved" statement). It's an expression of hope, that salvation is a process and not some one time event.

We are saved by the Incarnation (cf St. Athanasius). We are being saved by participation in the sacramental life of the Church. And we hope that we will be saved when we face the Judge at the end.

Again, we all know you don't like Maria. I'm not particularly fond of her either, to be honest. But there's nothing wrong with what she posted.

And once I figure out which one of Fr. Hopko's podcasts addresses this, I will post a link to it so you can see for yourself if I took his words out of context. I sincerely do not think I have nor do I have a track record for doing so. If anything, I'm overly-scrupulous about context.

« Last Edit: September 11, 2012, 11:01:50 PM by Schultz »

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"Hearing a nun's confession is like being stoned to death with popcorn." --Abp. Fulton Sheen

We are saved by the Incarnation (cf St. Athanasius). We are being saved by participation in the sacramental life of the Church. And we hope that we will be saved when we face the Judge at the end.

Thank you for clarifying Schultz, I like this alot better than the "I am saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved".

Yes, I like Schultz's answer too. But I also don't mind the other.

As to the question of the OP, the answer is simply that Orthodoxy is not afraid of divine paradox. How can we be saved while still being saved? The answer is simply to keep struggling to work out our own salvation while maintaining faith in the eternally enduring mercy of God.

Selam

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"Whether it’s the guillotine, the hangman’s noose, or reciprocal endeavors of militaristic horror, radical evil will never be recompensed with radical punishment. The only answer, the only remedy, and the only truly effective response to radical evil is radical love."+ Gebre Menfes Kidus +http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000984270/Rebel-Song.aspx